The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

News on the topic: labor rights

14.10.2008 No registration for independent trade union

On 13 October Rechytsa district court rejected the suit of the independent Belarusian trade union of radio-electronic industry (BTUREI) against the refusal of Rechytsa district executive committee to give state registration to a district primary unit of the trade union.

01.10.2008 Withdrawal from official trade union at ‘BelWest’ shoes factory

The reason for the mass withdrawal of the factory workers from the official trade union is that the factory administration is trying to compensate a loss (which was registered as a result of August revision) at the expense of their wages. The revision found that 180 pairs of shoes were missing. The administration decided to exact money from the workers’ wages in order to cover the loss.

15.08.2008 Homel: procuracy upholds dismissal from work for oppositional pretender for candidate

One of the tendencies of electoral campaign’2008 is that potential candidates that are not nominated by the regime are threatened with dismissal from work or even dismissed. The law enforcing agencies usually close their eyes to such actions. One of the latest exampled is the reaction of the procuracy to the dismissal threats received by a pretender for candidate at Buda-Kashaliova constituency Kanstantsin Zhukouski.

08.08.2008 Dismissed for distribution of ‘Tovarishch’ newspaper?

An activist of the Party of Communists Belarusian Vasil Mamkin has been fired from the open stock company Elektraaparatura where worked for more than 25 years. He has sued to Chyhunachny district court of Homel for rehabilitation at work. He also demands from the defendant 10 million rubles in moral damages.

13.06.2008 New cases of labor discrimination

Leanid Autukukhou, opposition activist from the town of Haradok, was not rehabilitated at job by court. He sued against his dismissal because of the expiry of the working contract, but he was not supported by the judge, the prosecutor or the official trade union.

06.06.2008 Court fines teacher for protesting against construction of chemical plant

5 June Pukhavichy district court tried the administrative cases against the Tatsiana Dylkova and Nasta Papova, former teachers from the settlement of Druzhny who had taken part in the unauthorized meeting of the local citizens in protest against the construction of a chemical plant in the location by the Russian company Avgust-Bel.

13.02.2008 Tatsiana Sadouskaya Rehabilitated at Work

Chashniki district court rehabilitated at work an activist of the For Freedom movement Tatsiana Sadouskaya. She educated the population in the field of housing economy at the seminars of For Freedom movement, which could irritate her boss.

13.02.2008 Rechytsa Authorities Refuse to Register Trade Union again

Rechytsa authorities again refused to register a primary unit of the Belarusian trade union of radio-electronic industry. The formal reason is that the landlord decided to revoke his letter of guarantee for giving a legal address to the organization.

11.02.2008 New Professional Restrictions

A special permission by the authorities, named as professional and psychological interview or testing, is needed to study such disciplines as international activity, journalism, law.

09.02.2008 Independent Trade Union Helps Worker to Return His Money

The trade union of radio-electronic industry (REI) managed to get the court abolish a disciplinary punishment to its activist, driver of Brestenerhazberazhenne enterprise Mikhail Zychkou, and return to him the wage he had been deprived of as a result. It happened thanks to the insistence and professionalism of the trade-union’s specialists. They had not only to prove the unlawfulness of the administration’s actions, but also fight with the judicial illiteracy of the judge of Maskouski district court of Brest Mrs. Levanchuk.

15.01.2008 Fired Not to Be Paid

The activist of the For Freedom movement, lawyer of the Kamunalnik enterprise Tatsiana Sadouskaya has been fired.

14.01.2008 Economical Persecution of Protesting Entrepreneurs

In the morning of 14 December the administration of the market center Underground city hanged out the lists of the persons who were absent from work on 10 December, during the protest action of entrepreneurs. This can be considered as violation of the regime of work of the market center. As a result those who were absent from their jobs without a ‘good excuse’ can be deprived of their licenses of individual entrepreneurs and thus lose their jobs.

14.11.2007 Human Rights Activists Demand to Abolish Forced State Assignment of Graduates

This year 65 criminal cases have been brought against the high school graduates who failed to get to the places of work assignment. The present legislation treats such behavior as evasion from duties and demands from the people to pay off the costs that had been already spent by the state for their education. The numbers differ, but in general it is about 3-5 thousand US dollars, the average wage being about 200 dollars.